Battle of Endirey

Battle of Endirey
Part of 1722 Insurgency in Chechnya
Date 23 July 1722 Location Aktash River near Endirey, Endirey Khanate Result Chechen–Kumyk victory Defeat and retreat of the Veterani corps Destruction of Endirey
Belligerents
Endirey Khanate Chechen militias	Russian Empire Including: Don Cossacks Lesser & Greater Kabardia
Commanders and leaders
Aidemir Bardykhanov Musal Chopalov	Andrei Veterani Colonel Naumov Elmurza Cherkassky Mutsal Cherkassky Aslambek Kommetov
Units involved
Kumyks and Chechens from Endirey Militias from Chechnya	3 Dragoon Regiments Don Cossacks
Strength
5,000–6,000	2,400 or 6,400 2,000 or 6,000 400 Cossacks
Casualties and losses
Unknown Several captured	204 89 KIA 115 WIA

The Battle of Endirey was a major confrontation between the Russian Empire and its allies with the Chechens and Kumyks and took place in a gorge on the Aktash River near Endirey. An army sent led by Brigadier Andrei Veterani was encircled by a combined Chechen–Kumyk force, as a result of which the corps was defeated and forced to retreat. Another detachment under Colonel Naumov broke into Endirey and destroyed it.

In 1718, a large mountaineer force led by Aidemir Bardykhanov attacked Russian Terek fortifications and Cossack villages in retaliation for recent Cossack raids on Chechen villages. In February of 1721, he conducted a major attack on the Terki fortress but was repelled with heavy losses.^[1] Together with a series of other Chechen and Kumyk raids on Russian territory, this led to the 2 punitive campaigns against the mountaineers in 1722.
The people of Endirey began preparing for a potential Russian campaign by fortifying the town and setting up defences, including defensive ditches, while non–combatants were evacuated to the mountains.^[2] Chechen fighters also came to help the Endireyans.^[3]

In July of 1722, an army under the command of Brigadier Andrei Veterani was sent to punish the rebels and occupy the town Endirey, the capital of the Endirey Khanate.^[a] On his way, he was joined by the princes of Greater Kabardia — Elmurza Cherkassky and Mutsal Cherkassky, who were lieutenants in the Russian army, and a prince of Lesser Kabardia — Aslambek Kommetov. Some sources say the army counted 2,400 men, while other sources say it was 6,400 strong.^[4]

In a gorge on the Aktash River near Endirey, the army was encircled by a combined Chechen–Kumyk force, between 5,000 to 6,000, led by the two princes. The rebels, armed with sabers, daggers, arrows and guns, ran out from the forest, attacked the Russian detachment and quickly retreated back into the forest. Taken by surprise, the panicking Russian army could not offer any serious resistance and was forced to retreat, with 89 soldiers killed and 115 wounded. The Chechens and Kumyks also suffered considerable losses, with many being captured.^[5][6]
Reinforcements under Colonel Naumov soon arrived and left a part of his troops to hold their position and distract the rebels, while he and the main army directly attacked Endirey. Under fierce rebel resistance, the army of Naumov broke through the Endireyan defences and destroyed the entire town, leaving "nothing but ashes" behind.^[6]

As a result of the failure of the campaign, Peter the Great sent a 15,000 strong army to Chechnya and the Endirey Khanate, which devastated destroyed several villages. As a result, the Khanate went into decline.^[7]

• Insurgency in Chechnya (1722) — Main conflict
• Aidemir Bardykhanov — One of the main commanders of the rebel forces

• Хасбулатов, А.И.; Гапуров, Ш.А.; Ахмадов, Ш.Б.; Багаев, М.Х.; Хизриев, Х.А.; Ахмадов, Я.З.; Исаев, С.А.; Бадаев, С.Э.С.; Ибрагимова, З.Х. (2006). Ибрагимов, М.М. (ed.). История Чечни с древнейших времён до наших дней [History of Chechnya from the ancient times to the present day] (in Russian). Grozny: Книжное издательство. pp. 300–301. ISBN 978-5-98896-103-1.
• Anchabadze, George (2009). THE VAINAKHS (The Chechen and Ingush). Tbilisi: Caucasian House. p. 52.
• Хожаев, Д.А. (1998). Мазаева, Тамара (ed.). Чеченцы в Русско-Кавказской войне [Chechens in the Russian-Caucasian War] (in Russian). Грозный-Санкт-Петербург: Седа. p. 19. ISBN 5-85973-012-8. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014.
• Ахмадов, Ш.Б. (2002). Чечня и Ингушетия в XIII – начале XIX века [Chechnya and Ingushetia in the 18th – early 19th centuries] (in Russian). p. 352.